Titan Fall
by Some Randy
Summary: There are no Marley. There are no Eldians. There are only humans and Titans. These Titans have devoured the world, forcing humanity to a lone island in the middle of the sea, Paradise Island. Eren Yeager, a boy born into this hell, may have the power to stop the Titans. The question is, are the Titans the only threat?
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

* * *

Fire.

Fire is the combustion or burning, in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.

That is the scientific term for fire. For the two boys who walked amongst the flames, all they knew was that it burned and burned and _burned._

The two boys were frail things, really. The blond one, with hazel eyes, could be considered the weakest out of the two boys. And his health was deteriorating as well. Many burn marks were etched on his face. His left eye closed due to the massive swelling. Pieces of wood were sticking out of his right leg, rendering him useless to walk. He was only able to make it this far because his friend was too stubborn to leave him.

The boy with brown hair and gray eyes practically carried the blonde boy. He was in far better shape than the hazel-eyed boy. Few burn marks were seen, the only indication that he had been walking through a fire was the soot and ash that covered his clothes and face.

Who was to blame for such a thing? Who had the heart to watch this blazing inferno as two helpless boys crossed it, trying to stay alive. Well, the answer is simple. Creatures that don't have a heart.

Titans.

That is what they called the abominations.

And humans were at their mercy. Tenfold for these boys who could do nothing but trudge along.

"J… Just leave me… already…" the blond barely manage to say, coughing and wheezing every chance he got due to the smoke.

"Are you insane!" Gray eyes fired back. "I am not leaving you behind! So just drop the topic!"

The sound of a large footstep was made.

 _*Thud*_

"They're… They're getting closer… at this rate… both of us…" the blond boy couldn't continue, interrupted by his own coughing.

The boy with brown hair cursed their luck. This fire would have never had happened if the people didn't panic. All it took was one dropped lantern to spark this whole disaster.

 _*Thud*_

The beast was getting close.

 _*Whirl… Zip*_

The sound of someone using vertical maneuvering gear was made. Gray eyes looked up with a hopeful expression in them.

"What are you boys still doing out here?! The last train is about to leave! If we don't hurry, we'll be left behind!" A man with short blonde hair and hazel eyes landed next to the boys. He wore the typical Garrison uniform, symbolizing that he was a protector of the walls. Even if said walls were only 15 meters high and made out of wood.

"M-Mister Hannes! Please, you have to take Armin and get him to the train. Taking both of us will slow us down enough for that Titan to catch up!" The gray-eyed boy pleaded to the now named Garrison soldier.

The blonde, who was now identified as Armin, could only wheeze in protest, his vision already becoming dark.

 _*Thud*_

The Titan had just turned the block, its mouth, slightly agape, smiling at its next meal.

Hannes stared at the damn thing with determination.

"You boys keep going. I'll slay that thing and make sure we _all_ return to safety." He spouted off as he started running to the Titan, device in hand to prepare for a quick liftoff.

"No! Wait! You can't take that thing alone!" The boy with gray eyes yelled, but it was too late. Hannes had already engaged in combat with the Titan.

The two boys struggled along. Trying to put as much distance between them and the Titan. The boy with gray eyes looked back to see how Hannes was fairing.

And froze in shock.

The Titan had Hannes in its grasp. The lower half of Hannes' body was nowhere to be seen. And the Titan was slurping up his intestines like they were noodles.

The gray-eyed boy immediately dropped Armin to throw up. Of course, the only thing that came out was saliva and more stomach acid. The poor boy had already emptied his stomach more than once today.

The blonde, having regained his senses from the faceplant into the dirt, crawled his way to a nearby house. Leaning up against the wooden structure, he cast his gaze into his friend, then the Titan, then back to his friend.

"E… Er-"

"Don't talk!" The gray-eyed boy shouted as he wiped the saliva off his face.

"You have to conserve your ener-" the boy stopped as he turned to face his friend.

"Armin… put it down." The boy said cautiously, wide eyes expressed his emotions.

Armin held in his hand a broken shard of the blades that the Garrison use to cut Titan flesh.

 _*Thud*_

He looked at the gray-eyed boy with a smile on his face.

"Please…"

 _*Thud*_

"I want you… to fulfill my dream…"

 _*Thud*_

"Let that… be your sole reason for living."

 _*Thud*_

"Armin! Don't-"

 _*_ _ **Thud**_ _*_

Gray eyes opened upon being awakened from their slumber.

"That dream again, eh?" the owner of the gray eyes spoke.

 _'Has it really only been eight years since that day?'_

 _*Thud*_

That's right. The thing that had awoken him was drawing near.

With a sigh, the boy stood up on the branch that he had used to take his nap.

In one swift motion, he drew the blade from the scabbard that was attached to his back. With his sword in his right hand and his device for his vertical maneuvering gear in his left, he was prepared to face the threat.

 _*Thud*_

" _ **Are you the one that is known as 'The Jaeger'?"**_ The 15-meter monstrosity spoke.

"You can speak… that means you have at least devoured more than a thousand humans, am I correct?"

" _ **Heh, heh, heh,"**_ The Titan let out a cruel chuckle.

" _ **Is not that the only way for us Titans to grow in power? We only wish to gain back our humanity. And the only way to gain it…**_

" _ **Is to devour it."**_

"... Disgusting. Freaks like you should just crawl in a hole and die. You sure as hell wouldn't be missed."

" _ **Oh? You sure can bark, little pup. But can you bite?"**_

In response to the taunt, the teenager flipped his hold on the sword, resulting in a reverse grip.

" _ **Yes!"**_ The Titan barked out as soon as the teenager jump from the tree, using his gear to maneuver around the Titan. " _ **Show me your power, Jaeger!"**_

"Tsk." The teenager scoffed, as he dodged the hand that tried to swat him.

"Why does everyone call me that?" He said while he sliced a single eye out of the Titan as he flew by its head, completing a 180 turn in midair, and shooting a hook that embedded itself on the back of the Titan.

"My name is…"

The Titan roared out in pain as the effect of having his eye cut out registered.

"Eren Yeager!"

* * *

Edit: 2/22/2018

-Fixed false information

-Fixed a few misspells and grammar issues

I am not perfect. There is bound to be a few more mistakes that I missed.


	2. Chapter 2

_This world is cruel…_

 _Yet…_

 _It is very beautiful…_

 _The flowers painted red from the blood of our comrades…_

 _You can't help but stare at them for a moment…_

 _Appreciating their beauty…_

 _It may seem heartless to say such things._

" _That blood once kept a human alive."_

 _But much like how the brighter the light, the darker the shadow, the same can be said for this:_

 _Beauty can be found in the cruelest of things._

 _The Titans are such an example._

 _They were meant to be such a greater existence._

 _Immortals._

 _That was what they tried to achieve, but we got the Titans instead._

 _Well, there were two other sub-products, to be exact._

 _We had her._

 _And we had the Ackermans._

 _The story went a little like this._

 _A government of a nation long forgotten funded a project to create the perfect super soldier. Of course, this was only on text. The true purpose was to create immortality. And it worked…_

 _Well… just not the way they expected._

 _The first "batch" contained her._

 _Of course, there were many like her, but she was the only survivor._

 _This first batch could use the sunlight as energy and regenerate. Records showed that some could even manipulate the light and enlarge themselves. But there was a glaring flaw._

 _They were not immortal._

 _Sure, they could heal from critical injuries, but if they were decapitated or lost too much blood, they would die._

 _The first batch was put into an icy sleep, for they were powerful on their own, but not what the leaders of the project wanted._

 _That is where the second batch came in. Much like the first batch, the second only had a few survivors. The Ackermans. They could channel the energy they had into their bodies, increasing their strength, agility, and overall combat performance. However, they were considered much more of a failure than the first batch._

 _They could not regenerate._

 _So, they too were soon put into an icy sleep._

 _The third batch is when it all went to Hell._

 _They did it. They created immortality..._

 _In the form of a monster._

 _The horror the citizens must have felt when they opened their windows to breath the morning air... only to come face to face with such large monstrosities._

 _They ate humans. No one knew why. They just… ate._

 _They kept devouring, and devouring, and devouring._

 _Many tried to fight, but they were immortal._

 _Cut off their head? They would grow it back._

 _Bleed them to death? Even the blood evaporated, so it was useless._

 _It wasn't until later that humans found out why they ate their kin._

 _It made them more intelligent._

 _Funny… those monstrosities were once humans, perhaps they wanted their humanity back? And the only way to do that is to devour it?_

 _There was one Titan that rose above the others. He regained his sanity. Well, most of it anyway. He could manipulate his power so well that he could even disguise himself as a human. How a creature that used to be 15 meters high can become a 6-foot being is beyond human comprehension._

 _It was around this time when two major events happened. They found that Titans were not immortal. And they found her._

 _Her name was Ymir._

 _Scavengers found her in an underground research facility. She was frozen in cryo-sleep, among many others. However, when the scavengers released them, she was the only one to survive._

 _That was when she told us the Titan's weakness._

 _She gave us a brief history lesson. When she manipulated the light and "transformed", she resided within the nape of her "Titan"._

 _This was the core of the Titans weakness. Weapons were being massed produced on the idea that the Titans weakness was their nape. It was one such inventor that confirmed it._

 _His name was Angel Aaltonen. He created a device that allowed for humans to move in all directions to combat the Titans._

 _The vertical maneuvering gear was created._

 _It was a success. With this invention, humans could now take to the front lines and battle against the Titan. It was said that most died. However, the Titans were now taking casualties, so it was deemed worth the investment._

 _Naturally, the Titan who had regained his sanity wasn't pleased. The Humans were numerous, but the Titans? Soon it would be clear who the winner was._

 _So he set about trying to find a way of reproducing what the scientist created. He wanted to create more Titans._

 _Around the time of the sane Titan attempting to creating more Titans, another research facility was founded. This one held the Ackermans._

 _They were strong. Superhuman, even. And they were led under Ymir, becoming her elite soldiers._

 _The sane Titan grew irritated at Ymir. He had succeeded in creating more Titans. A simple process of just injecting a human with a Titan's spinal fluid, however, those Titans were incompetent. Falling for the most obvious of traps. The sane Titan decided to take action directly._

 _He was given the name 'Demon of Ymir' for his exploits._

 _He didn't care about names, what he cared about was how Ymir was winning the war._

 _Her power to transform into a Titan along with the Ackermans led to crushing defeats for the Titans._

 _Sure, the humans suffered far worse casualties, but the fact that they_ just kept sending them _was the reason why the Titans kept losing._

 _The Demon realized the current Titans were too dumb. Being baited into an easy kill could have been avoided if the Titans were at least intelligence._

 _Se he devised a plan. He would infiltrate human society and slowly feed humans to a selected few Titans._

 _With these new intelligent Titans, he was able to purge far larger cities than before, resulting in more Titans eating more humans which led to_ more _intelligent Titans._

 _The human race was being pushed back._

 _But the worse came when Ymir was betrayed._

 _The person she had an affair with, the person she loved, betrayed her._

 _That person, was in fact, the Demon himself._

 _He had infiltrated human society in a manner that nobody had expected, by becoming Ymir's lover._

 _By causing her emotional grief, the Demon was finally able to push the humans back._

 _Back to Paradise Island._

 _Paradise Island was the last fail-safe in case we lost the war._

 _Titans can't swim._

 _Paradise Island was meant to be a safe haven where there was no presence of the Titan threat, however, the Demon was smart. He once again infiltrated the ships that were left to leave for Paradise. With him, a few vials of Titans spinal fluid._

 _The result was-_

A misplaced foot on a root and a stumble.

"Ugh…" A groan of discomfort escaped the lips of a woman.

She had short black hair that was parted to the right side, lightly tanned skin, and gold-colored eyes with a small patch of freckles below each one. She wore the standard Survey Corps uniform and cape with a gray shirt underneath.

"I… I don't want to die…"

Tears fell from Ilse Langnar's eyes as she whimpered.

She had been in the scouts for four years, deeming her as a veteran. She was deployed for the front lines for this expedition.

Only to have said front lines obliterated by an intelligent Titan.

She ran.

What else could she do? Her gear was damaged, she was useless.

So she ran. And wrote.

She had always loved writing, so when a stressful or nervous situation occurred, she wrote.

It started out as something akin to poetry and then delved into humanities history.

She always wanted to write her own story. Inspired by the tragic love and betrayal of Lady Ymir, she aspired to write a love story of a similar tragic tale.

 _*Thud*_

But it appears she wouldn't be able to.

The Titan poked its head out behind the tree she had just stumbled upon.

A six meter Titan with short blond hair.

So this was how it all ended?

She gave a bitter smile as she sat there, tears streaming down her face.

As the hand went to reach for her, her only thoughts were of her parents.

And regret.

Regret was the only emotion that Ilse was feeling.

Regret that she couldn't give anything back to her parents.

Regret that she couldn't write her love story.

Regret that she could do nothing as the Titan picked her up.

It was gentle as if she was a flower. The Titan opened its mouth, revealing the rows of teeth and the dark abyss that led to its stomach.

Time seemed to freeze for Ilse as she inched closer to the maw of the Titan. She saw it before she heard it. A flash of green behind the Titan and then the sound of crackling electricity.

The Titan released its grip on Ilse as it fell down, steam erupting from its nape.

"What's with that pathetic look on your face." A voice spoke up.

She turned to her savior. It was revealed to be a boy of average height, brown disheveled hair with gray eyes. He wore clothes battered in dirt, the only notable thing being his red scarf.

"Well, look on the bright side," He stated as he waved his hand in a nonchalant manner. "At least you didn't piss yourself."

Whatever the girl was thinking was halted as a ting of red formed on her cheeks.

"You… That's not a Scout uniform, and the gear you're using is not standard equipment!"

"I would hope it's not. I made it myself after all."

"That's… That's… You're a _civilian_?!"

"... Your point?"

"My point?! You are not suppose to be out here! A boy your age should still be in training camp and _not_ fighting Titans! Did you go AWOL just to join the fight!?" At this point, Ilse had stood up, releasing all her frustrations that she had when she was about to die on the boy.

"AWOL? What? No! I am not even in the military. And I am eighteen, just for your information. Also, is this any way to treat the person who just saved you?!"

Despite the near-death experience, despite being in Titan territory with no form of protection, these two found a way to argue.

"Enough!" Ilse finally shouted after a little bickering.

She turned away from the boy, wiping her tears from her eyes.

"T-Thank you. You saved my life."

The boy stood there for a moment before he scoffed for a moment and looked away.

"Yeah, sure." He said with a light blush. This was the first time anyone ever thanked him.

Ilse turned and smiled at the boy. She held out her hand.

"My name is Ilse Langnar." She introduced herself.

The boy gave a hesitant stare at the extended hand.

"Eren… Eren Yeager…" He finally said as he grasped the hand.

"Hmm, well Eren," Her grip on his hand tighten. "Do you know Article Seven, Section thirty-eight of the military law?"

A look of grimace was found on Eren's face as his hand started to hurt from the pressure Ilse was putting on it.

"W-What?"

"The law clearly states that, unless called to action, no civilians can partake in military actions until they have the proper training." She said with a smile on her face.

"So, if you aren't an AWOL soldier, that is at least one to three years of imprisonment."

"H-How can you say such things with that genuine smile on your face?! And I saved you! Also, my hand! My hand!" Eren stated as he kneeled on the ground, face contorted with pain as he tried to pry Ilse's hand off, but the woman had an iron grip.

The girl only tilted her head with the same smile on.

' _I shouldn't have gotten involved…'_ was Eren's only thought on the matter.

* * *

"So you're saying you are from the Shiganshina cultivation plan? But that was destroyed eight years ago! They hadn't even erected stone walls, only having those flimsy wood walls as a defense."

The Shiganshina cultivation plan was similar to a cultivating village. The plan was just to prepare land for farming and get people out of the over-populated main three walls. The three main walls were considered the capital of the land of Paradise. Most called it 'central'.

The geography was all based around the three 'goddess' walls. Sina, Rose, and Maria were the walls names. However, the walls only occupied a certain amount of land. So, new areas were needed to be formed due to the dense population. Trains that were powered by the same gas in vertical maneuver gear were created. These trains were made above the ground, and since there were no stationary humans near the tracks, Titans typically stayed out of the path. Of course, this isn't always the case, and maintenance is required frequently. These tracks led to different cultivating villages.

The first few were a success, leading to stone walls that were almost as high as the original three walls.

The ultimate goal of humanity was to continue to expand and eliminate the Titan threat.

"Yes, I was there. I saw all the death and destruction myself." Was Eren's response, taking a somber look.

Ilse sighed.

"Look, I won't ask details. However, I have to ask why you didn't return to the closest town? Surely you didn't have a death wish?"

"Death wish? Of course I have one. Can't you see I am doing a hell of a job trying to make it true?" Eren retorted sarcastically.

Ilse just gave him a glare.

"Alright, alright. I don't have a death wish. The reason I didn't go back to civilization is because I didn't want to."

"Why not? If you wanted to kill Titans, proper training, equipment, and comrades would get you farther than it has with you by yourself."

"That may be true, but the fact is that I don't necessarily want to kill Titans."

Ilse raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, Okay, maybe, just _maybe,_ I want to eradicate them. But my first dream comes first."

"That dream being…?"

"To explore the world. See all the sights it has to offer. Like those giant triangle things, pyramids, I think they were called."

"The entire world? But everything has been lost to the Titans."

"That's why I would go by myself. I just need to figure out how to make a boat. I pretty much explored everything on this island. Expect near the mountain range. For some reason, that place is heavily populated by Titans."

"Well, of course it is heavily populated by Titans, that _is_ where the Titan cult is."

Eren stopped and looked at Ilse with wide eyes.

"They have a _cult_?!" Eren asked with surprise.

Ilse looked at him with confusion. Then it dawned on her.

"That's right. You were without civilization for eight years. You don't know anything about the current times. The Titan cult rose to power around five years ago. Although rumor has it they were around since the first migration to Paradise Island. Anyways, it is suspected to be the Demon's work… You do know who the Demon is, right?"

"Yes, even I have heard of him. Some crazy bastard that is a Titan, right?"

"More or less. Anyways, their base of operation is somewhere in the mountain range. Those who think that Titans are some 'divine-retribution' or something have abandoned those of the walls and now follow the Demon as well as Titans. They're becoming more powerful by the day. Part of the expedition this time around was to establish a base of operations closer to the mountain range. The plan is, with the help of the Garrison, to purge the mountain tops of all Titans and even the Demon himself.

"This will lead to a world closer to what we dream of. A land without Titans."

"Seems like a pipedream."

"Says the guy that wants to travel the world that is _infested_ with Titans."

Eren looked away at that statement.

"Say what you want, I have the bite to back up the bark."

"Well, in any case, I can see the walls of Gerald. We are almost home free."

Gerald had started out as a cultivation village much like all the cities outside the capital. Now, due to it being the closest and safest city near the mountain range, it was the current base of operations for the Scouts.

Eren had taken the courtesy of escorting Ilse to the city. He wasn't just going to abandon her.

"Damn, those walls are huge." Eren let out a whistle.

"Yeah, while they are only 10 meters less than the original three walls, they are still quite tall." Ilse agreed.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways." Eren stated as he turned to leave.

"Wait, what?!" Ilse immediately grabbed onto Eren as he tried to leave.

"Why would you leave?!"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I am going to explore the world. I just need to find a boat." Eren stated.

Ilse grimaced at the statement. For some reason, she didn't want Eren to leave.

' _Alright, the man in front of me is very stubborn. For some unknown reason, I want him to stay with me a little bit longer. I have to use all logic and manipulative talking in my arsenal to convince him to stay! He has survived out here for eight years and must know the terrain well. Yeah! He would be a benefit for the Scouts! That's why you want him to stay!'_

Ilse cleared her throat as she prepared for the task at hand. She crossed her arms, turning her head with eyes closed.

"It is quite obvious you are an idiot."

Eren stopped to look at her.

"How so? I lived out here for eight years. Can an idiot do _that_."

"Apparently so." She cast her gaze on Eren.

Eren's eye twitched a little at that statement.

"Okay, miss 'know-it-all', how _am_ I an idiot?"

"There are no boats that can take you to the old world."

Ilse changed her posture to place a hand on her hip and one in the air as she waved it around nonchalantly as she explained.

"First off, all the boats that we took here are all destroyed, if you explored everything on this island then I am sure you have seen the wreckages. Second, were you planning to make a boat _all_ by yourself? Creating a functional boat is quite difficult. And finally, do you know how to _steer_ one?"

With the final statement said, Ilse smirked as she looked at the dumbfounded expression on Eren.

"Tsk, I will cross that bridge when it happens."

Ilse let out a sigh.

"Building a boat all by yourself would take a _long_ time. Not to mention the failures you are bound to experience due to your lack of knowledge."

"What are you getting at?"

"I am trying to say it would be faster to eradicate the Titans on Paradise Island. Have someone experience build you a boat and learn how to sail in during that time period."

"...How long does it take to build a boat?"

"The shipyard masters can get it done in a few months. But by yourself? Not to mention trial and error, it could take you years. Years you don't have."

Eren stopped to ponder what Ilse had said. All the points she brought up were valid. Although Eren did think the hand gestures were a little over the top.

With a hesitant glance back at the forest, Eren weighed the pros and cons and then made his decision.

"Lead the way."

With that said, Ilse smiled for her victory.

Perhaps this was the deciding moment that led to the change for all of humanity on Paradise Island. Perhaps if Eren decline, the events that are about to unfold would never happen. For better or for worse, Eren was going to have a huge impact on the residents of Paradise Island.


End file.
